Air Born | Generation Icarus #1

Tui - Car Chase

Twisting round in my seat, I could see Hawk at the wheel of a mustard-yellow pickup with Kestrel and Miguel sitting beside him. But fast on their tail was a mean-looking black SUV.

We left the open fields behind as the road took us into the forest. As we began winding uphill, the SUV dropped back. I slid sideways as H took yet another tight corner at high speed. As I steadied myself against the door, there was a sudden bang!

Shrieking, I snatched my hand back. "They're shooting at us!"

"They're shooting at the others," H said grimly, his brown knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel.

Twisting in my seat again, I saw the mustard pickup was practically on our tailgate with the SUV right behind them. A man in black was leaning out the SUV's window and aiming low.

"I think they're trying to blow the tires," I shouted to H over the roar of the engines and wind.

A couple more cracks were followed by the ptangs! of projectiles hitting metal.

H crunched the pickup into the next gear. "Come on baby, you can do it!"

Ahead, Marcus and Raven's sedan disappeared around the distant corner. It seemed to take ages before we were doing the same.

There were many long minutes where there was no sound but the roar of the engine and the swish of trees flashing past. The SUV stayed a steady distance behind, but the road was never straight enough for them to get off any more shots.

I realised we were at the highest point of the road. The forest fell away in front of us, rolling down to meet a small town sprawling on the edge of the plains. It looked very close but very far at the same time.

Another crack and we both swore.

"Come on, baby," H urged the truck. "Downhill now."

Another few minutes passed with no gunshots, but we couldn't shake the brand-new SUV, which stayed a steady distance behind the mustard pickup.

"We're coming out of the forest," H said, his voice tight.

A sudden rush of wind made me jump. An oncoming car roared past us, driving into the forest. The SUV was gaining again, but the gun had disappeared.

Then, without warning, the SUV backed off. They just pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. The two pickups whipped around a corner and the SUV vanished from view.

"Maybe they're scared of witnesses?" H said as we passed the final bend and warily slowed down for a residential speed zone. The sedan was visible a few blocks ahead in the cluster of buildings that stretched for a mile or so in front of us.

I was just thankful it wasn't like the movies, where the bad guys keep chasing the good guys and firing randomly without regard for civilian life. It only took us a few minutes to get through the town and back onto open road. After a few corners and hills, and a complete lack of bullets and SUVs, I started breathing properly again.

Shortly after that, Marcus indicated he was turning right and we followed him down a narrow gravelled side road, the mustard pickup keeping close on our tail.

After winding along for a few minutes and seeing no other cars, driveways, or any other sign of activity, Marcus went off-road through the trees, rolling along a thick carpet of pine needles.

After all that drama, when we finally stopped and got out of our cars it seemed kind of ... awkward.